


Building a Child

by Kien Rugastelo (cein)



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: M/M, Mpreg, mild body horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:07:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25783351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cein/pseuds/Kien%20Rugastelo
Summary: Kurogane is a natural family man and Fai has found a way to make that family happen.
Relationships: Fay D. Fluorite/Kurogane
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've alluded to male pregnancy in other works before (see: Identity Theft - Star Trek fandom), but this is my first attempt where the pregnancy is central to the plot, doesn't involve futuristic medicine, and is happening with a cis male. I'm nonbinary myself, so I hope I have managed to keep this trans-friendly. As always, I am open to criticism if something about my writing is harmful.
> 
> Some things I'd like to settle so anyone for which this may be a sensitive topic can have a better idea of whether or not they'd like to read: I am not changing anyone's body configuration externally (only necessary internal changes to carry a baby with), and we are not doing the butt-womb thing here.
> 
> The portion involving the conception is a little graphic and may make some readers a bit squeamish if they're sensitive to that sort of thing.
> 
> As an aside, all my TRC fic can be considered the same universe unless otherwise specified.

It was a revelation not all that surprising to Fai. He’d seen how well Kurogane had looked after Sakura and Syaoran, how he’d even taken to looking after Mokona. He’d seen how deep the instinct to protect ran in him, how quickly Kurogane had taken to the idea of restoring his family’s lands upon being given the opportunity. Family didn’t have many special connections for Fai — or at least, not any positive ones — but Kurogane had grown up close to his, loving and loved in return.

So it wasn’t really all that surprising when they had come to another town for more supplies and Fai caught Kurogane’s gaze lingering on a group of children playing further down the lane. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen it, and every time Kurogane looked fond, and maybe just a little lonely in ways Fai couldn’t chase away himself. The words spilled out almost entirely of their own volition: “You miss having a family, don’t you?”

Kurogane’s face stayed carefully neutral. “The kid could stand to visit more often.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Fai said, and that had Kurogane’s eyes slipping away from the scene ahead of them to Fai’s face.

Whatever he read there, Kurogane conceded: “Not here.”

* * *

It wasn’t until the moon had risen after they retired to the inn, and they both had a cup of sake before them, that Kurogane was ready to continue that conversation. The days were warming up, but the nights seemed to cling to the chill of winter, and while Fai could no longer see clouds with every breath, he still insisted they both wore haori over their yukata when exposed to the night air. Kurogane drained his cup not too quickly. “You think I want children?”

“I know you do,” Fai countered warmly as he refilled Kurogane’s cup, steam rising lazily between them.

“Not like we can,” Kurogane said, and it was then Fai knew that Kurogane had been doing more than just considering it.

“There are other options,” Fai supplied, now drinking from his own cup. They could arrange a surrogate, or adopt — though that presented its own unique set of problem years down the line.

“No,” Kurogane said, reaching across to top off Fai’s glass, cheeks just a little pink. “If it’s not you, I can’t. But if _you_ — ”

“No,” Fai cut him off, gently. Physically, he could manage — and maybe Kurogane could as well, if they both went to a surrogate together, but Kurogane didn’t want that and Fai could respect that — but that wouldn’t solve one of the core issues: there was little point restoring Suwa and having children if the children were Fai’s. “The child would need to be yours to inherit Suwa later, right Kuro-tan?”

Kurogane nodded at that, and Fai gazed out across the small courtyard. With no heir, the matter of dividing the land would fall to the court later, and it could not be guaranteed that any child not of Kurogane’s blood would receive so much as a share. While that wasn’t the only reason — the number of times Fai had seen people here react to him at first glance as though he were a potential malignant spirit were reasons plenty to avoid having a child with his own appearance — it would be a shame to restore the ancestral lands and see them fall into other hands.

“There are still other options,” Fai provided, deliberately not looking back to Kurogane. This much was a little risky — a combination of spells that could, feasibly, allow one of them to bear a child. Fai had made artificial beings before — and the resemblance Chii had borne to his mother had been remarkable — had dabbled in shape-shifting, had studied enough of the human body to be reasonably certain it was possible. It wasn’t something he had tried before, and there would be nothing artificial about the result, but the possibility was there. If Fai had been offering himself, he would have already proceeded, but this was Kurogane, and Kurogane was far too important to risk unnecessarily (and Fai was certain if Kurogane had been aware of that particular thought, he would have smacked Fai across the head for it). Still, he had already spoken up, and there was no going back now. “There is a chance you could have a child.”

Fai peeked back at Kurogane then and the man was still, eyes closed gently as he considered. He must have been aware such a thing was potentially dangerous, that if it was as easy as Fai made it sound, he would have brought it up sooner. So Fai waited patiently until Kurogane asked: “It would be our child?”

“Your child,” Fai corrected. At least for this first one, they would be all Kurogane — nothing of Fai involved to potentially trick the body into having a devastating and possibly deadly reaction to a perceived invader. If they succeeded, then maybe the next one, should there be a next one, could be of them both. This first one, would be all Kurogane.

It made the frown lines on Kurogane’s face deepen just a little more. “I will consider it.” He drained his cup and Fai, relieved, filled it again.

* * *

The questions had come steadily as they had occurred to Kurogane over the course of days. Would the physical changes be permanent? Fai was reasonably certain he could reverse them. How much of the change would be visible externally? Just the bump as the child grew, Fai believed. How much of a risk were they taking?

That was something Fai was uncertain about. He imagined the two most difficult times would be the initial transformation, and the delivery, and possibly the change to return Kurogane to his original form. He was confident that if they encountered trouble in the beginning, he could reverse the steps they had taken with little difficulty. It was after those changes had settled and there was a life within Kurogane, that it would be harder — both physically and emotionally.

Had he ever done this before? No, had been Fai’s honest answer. And he wasn’t aware of anyone doing so before. This was uncharted territory, and Fai wouldn’t think anything less of Kurogane if he decided to decline after all.

After that, the questions had stopped and Kurogane didn’t bring the topic up again, so Fai figured that Kurogane had decided to err on the side of caution — decided that their family of two would be sufficient. Things became as if the option had never been brought up at all, and Fai was secretly a little relieved.

* * *

Two months passed and the revitalization of Suwa progressed in leaps and bounds. They had long since moved from the temporary shack in the hills to the rebuilt manor, and settled in to the point where it felt like home. Most of the remaining work was in reclaiming the land from overgrown vegetation and unchecked demon activity.

So it wasn’t all that surprising when Kurogane introduced Fai to a priest he’d brought in on loan, one with a familiar face, even if his coloring was a bit different from the times they had — and hadn’t — met before. “Tsukishiro Yukito. He’ll be able to familiarize you with the barriers we use here in Nihon,” Kurogane had said by way of introduction, which was fair enough, Fai thought. Kurogane wouldn’t have been able to teach him, and the local people would know better than Fai what forms of barriers had proven most effective in this land. It wasn’t until Kurogane added that “He is also said to be our best healer” that Fai realized that maybe having a family hadn’t left Kurogane’s mind completely after all.

* * *

“You are very adept, Fai-san,” Yukito commented as Fai put the final touches on the field that would keep demons away from occupied areas at the very least for now. It could be strengthened with time; it was better to start small.

“Thank you,” Fai said, meaning it, where he knelt in front of the kamidana. The day had proven most educational, if exhausting. Fai almost found himself wishing to be working on restoring the fields instead of memorizing complex purification rites and intricate spell-casting. It would be easier with time, he knew, and maintenance was always simpler than the initial casting. But the day was full of such starter spells, and the sheer amount of detail involved was far more draining than chopping plants away. Instead, he was working alone with Yukito, and it seemed the instruction was coming to an end. “Has Kuro-sama mentioned the other — ” Fai paused, seeking the correct euphemism “ — project we are involved in?”

“Does this have to do with my healing abilities?” Yukito asked, not unkindly. Fai must have looked a bit surprised, because Yukito’s smile only grew. “Any priest could have taught you this, Fai-san. I had a feeling there was a reason I was asked for specifically.”

“You’re correct,” Fai said, gathering himself. Yukito had been kind and trustworthy every other world they’d met him in. He had no doubt this one would be no different, but the topic was still delicate. “We intend to conduct a ritual, one which will allow Kuro-sama to carry a child,” Fai’s fingers twitched in his lap, hands jerking into fists, “And I’m afraid I’m not able to cast healing magic.”

“I see,” Yukito said, growing serious. “I was not aware such a ritual existed.”

“It doesn’t,” Fai admitted — not anywhere outside his own mind, “Not yet.”

“You must love him very much.”

Fai didn’t know why that sincere comment had blind-sided him so. It was the truth, and it wasn’t as if he was working very hard to hide it. Besides, Yukitos always seemed to be very perceptive. “I do.”

Yukito stood then, offering Fai a hand. “May I see your notes?”

Fai took it. “Of course.”

* * *

Fai could speak and listen in _Nihongo_ but reading and writing were an entirely different matter. Unlike his native languages, each character was an idea and not a sound, and so the learning of it was slow, even for him. Between that and not having a use for learning complex terms for magical concepts up until this point, Fai could only be amazed at the level of patience and understanding Yukito possessed. Still, they had managed to get the ideas communicated across the language barrier after considerable effort, and Yukito was able to verify that, at the very least, the concepts behind the ritual were sound.

It became a routine very quickly. Fai would wake up next to Kurogane, and usually have breakfast together before leaving to reinforce the protective barriers. After, he and Yukito would work on perfecting the hypothesis into a workable theory, and from there build the specifics of what the process would entail until one or the other was too tired to continue, and Fai would fall into bed. Sometimes, Kurogane was still awake to greet him. Many times, he was not.

Fai missed him, dearly.

They were on a schedule, however. Together, Fai and Yukito had determined that the astrological positioning of the stars would be vital in securing a wider safety margin. If they missed the window they had found, another similar opportunity would not be around for another 7 years, and that window was fast approaching.

Kurogane understood; Yukito had reported such one morning while Fai was attending his duties as Suwa’s priest.

Still, it was a relief when Fai crawled into bed, Kurogane having not yet fallen into sleep himself. “Three days,” Fai murmured against Kurogane’s back. It wouldn’t be their only chance — the moon would stay in Cancer for two and a half days, new and ripe with beginnings — but if the failure was too great, they wouldn’t have much time to revise their methods for another attempt.

“I’ll be ready,” Kurogane replied, pressing the curve of his back into Fai.

“You can still back out,” Fai assured him, not for the first time. They both understood how potentially dangerous untested magic was, and though Fai knew Kurogane had long known and accepted the risk, there was always a lingering doubt that maybe Kurogane was continuing only to not see the hard work go to waste.

Kurogane rolled over then to best look Fai in the eye, to give him the chance to see how sure he was. “I want this.” There was no hesitation there, no signs of doubt that Fai could find on his face.

“Okay,” Fai said, curling in towards Kurogane and sleep. “Okay.”

* * *

Three days later had Kurogane in a white yukata, lying comfortably in the center of the room. By now, the potion Yukito had prepared had taken effect, and he was left feeling numb, but comfortable, and relaxed to an artificial degree — unnatural, considering the anxiety he’d been feeling, despite his absolute surety. As it was, though, he almost felt as if he could slip away into sleep with almost no effort at all. He refused.

The only people on the property now were himself, Fai, and Yukito — a measure of extreme caution, one Kurogane was not sure was warranted. As Fai finished the final details of the magic circle he had drawn on the floor around Kurogane, Yukito placed some final wards around the room. “Are you ready, Kuro-pii?” Fai asked as he rose to his feet. Kurogane nodded. “Then we’ll begin. Close your eyes, and tell us if you experience any pain at all.”

Kurogane obeyed the first and kept the second in mind. The potion Yukito had provided was the strongest painkiller the priest had felt comfortable administering. Any pain he could feel while under its effects would indicate a major problem, and be a reason to stop the process immediately, or so Kurogane had been told.

The first things he heard were a standard blessing — one he had heard his mother recite often in his youth. It was one powerful enough to clear any room and sanctify any space. Hearing Fai’s voice recite it stirred an emotion in Kurogane, but his mind was slippery and he couldn’t grasp it long enough to examine it. Even the air felt a little cooler now — a relief in this summer’s heat.

There was a pause then, and with his eyes slid shut, Kurogane was not sure what was happening. Perhaps Fai was hesitating, perhaps he was swapping out implements, perhaps he was waiting for a signal Kurogane could not detect himself. Either way, Kurogane did hear when Fai stepped forward, and felt when he gathered his magic to a point on his finger — felt as that point moved through the air to form sigils of the like Kurogane had seen many times before. It drew closer in a rush, and in a great show of self control, Kurogane did not flinch, even as it brushed up along his skin, tingling, or maybe itching. He couldn’t tell, as the sensation remained faint.

He did feel, however, as it took effect. At first it felt like a rumbling in his stomach, or perhaps like a buildup of gas, but it quickly morphed into a sensation of something inside distinctly moving — as if something had crawled inside of him and was slithering around, rearranging his very organs. His instincts told him to reach forward and claw at his guts and to get it out, but Kurogane instead grit his teeth and bore it.

Maybe it only lasted a few seconds, but to Kurogane it seemed as though minutes had passed before whatever it was within him stilled only to grow where it settled. It inflated slowly, until it was not much wider around than the baseball he had seen in the Hanshin republic.

And then, it stopped.

Kurogane could smell the faint smell of sweat in the air, could hear Fai panting quietly, as though he did not want Kurogane to hear him, though they both must have known such a thing would be impossible. It was Yukito, though, who stepped forward and knelt beside him, placing a gentle hand on Kurogane’s stomach and reaching in with his magic. Some of the tension that had grown in Kurogane was whisked away then, likely another mercy provided by Yukito, and the muscles he had clenched during the first step relaxed.

Yukito took his hand away after a few moments, and he returned to his vigil just behind and slightly to the left of Fai. He must have given a nod or some other signal, because Fai was gathering his magic again, drawing in the air again, magic reaching out towards Kurogane again, aimed at just the spot where the growing had been. This time, the feel of Fai’s magic didn’t move, but rested warmly in one spot, pulling from places within Kurogane into a point so tiny he could only register it in his senses for how much power was concentrated there, and how hot it felt searing inside him.

Kurogane felt a wave of nausea, as if his body recognized that he was not supposed to have this much magic within him, and perhaps if he couldn’t fight it out, it could reject it in other ways, but Kurogane had nothing if not control, and he willed his stomach to stay settled if only long enough for the ritual to be completed. Fai’s breathing was heavier now, as if he had run a marathon, and Kurogane wasn’t certain if it was the effects of the potion or the magic or if he could really sense Fai trembling across the room.

Then in an instant, the feeling was gone, and Fai heaved a deep breath and dropped to his knees, which had Kurogane snapping his eyes open, and fighting the effects of the potion to get up and head to his side, only to see Yukito was already there.

“I’m fine,” Fai assured them both, waving Yukito off, “Please check Kuro-sama.”

Kurogane rested back on his elbows from his half-turned position and allowed Yukito’s touch once more. This time, he lingered longer, eyes closed in concentration. Then, he opened his eyes and smiled. “It seems we were successful.”

Kurogane let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding. It had worked. All of Fai’s studying and training, all of Kurogane’s patience, all of Yukito’s lessons and collaboration — they had all paid off. And inside of him, there was a life.

“It’s too early to be completely certain,” Yukito added, “but the uterus is there, and I believe I can feel a life inside. We can check again, once it has grown a little more.”

Fai’s short laugh was one of relief, and he wiped at his face, likely just brushing a hair off his cheek as Kurogane had not spotted a tear. “We did it.”

Yukito hummed an agreement as he rose to his feet. “I’ll send for some refreshments.”

Fai nodded, still having not moved from his kneeling position. “Please.”

Yukito left then, sliding the door shut behind him, and Fai shuffled over to Kurogane, flopping down next to him instead of helping him to sit. Kurogane’s hand went to where Fai’s neck met his back on reflex. “We are not napping here,” Kurogane asserted without any heat.

“Yes we are,” Fai replied, already nuzzling close.

“We need a bath.”

“I’m exhausted, and you can’t even walk straight,” Fai countered.

Kurogane could not argue that, and so he rolled on his side to hold Fai properly instead, and when the door slid open with an attendant bringing snacks, Kurogane only barely registered the sound, well on his way to the world of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you caught the implication that Kurogane is demi-sexual towards the beginning, good job!
> 
> A note on Japanese not having phonetic characters: Modern Japanese does have two scripts which are phonetic, but the era Kurogane appears to be from did not, at least not in a way Fai would be able to easily pick out and learn. Though, there may be commonly used man'yougana (kanji used for their phonetic qualities), they were not standardized and one sound could be represented by many different characters, and would be difficult to pick out without knowing how to use the language. Unlike hiragana and katakana, man'yougana were also not used aside words as furigana to help with pronunciation, but instead filled gaps where particles were used, or the writer may not have known the correct kanji. Hiragana and katakana were not standardized until the Meiji era. Wikipedia has an excellent article which may explain better. This is also supported by the untranslated manga where in Hanshin, when separated from Mokona, Kurogane's speech is shown entirely in kanji.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These idiots are in love and it's going to kill me one of these days

What Kurogane was not prepared for was not feeling any different than he had before. He had awakened next to Fai and eaten his share of the refreshments that had been left for them, feeling just the same as he had before the ritual began. The feeling of internal displacement he’d had just hours ago had dissipated, and he seemed no different than he had been when the day began.

He’d expected to feel something within him, or even to be changed emotionally. The sameness of it all threw him off more than anything else.

He didn’t say any of this to Fai when he came around. He merely assured him that he wasn’t in pain, and was in fact feeling fine, while Fai scarfed down what was left of the food, ravenous after what had apparently been one of the most rigorous rituals he’d ever practiced in his life.

They sat down to a proper dinner then, and everything at the manor returned to the normal routine.

* * *

Yukito remained a regular visitor to the manor, coming by once a week to check on Kurogane’s progress. The third week in, he was able to confirm the small, but precious, life growing within Kurogane, and that it was doing all that it should. The child was healthy, as far as his magic was able to sense, and Kurogane’s body had taken to the new addition well.

Kurogane resented the news, just a little.

He’d been around pregnant people before. He knew how they behaved, how they complained of symptoms, or how they boasted about symptoms. He knew how their moods were affected, how they talked about the changes their bodies went through. How many of them seemed to glow with joy to the point it was almost painful to be around them.

Kurogane felt none of that.

He went through his morning kata as usual. He took care of problematic demons in his realm as usual. He attended his duties as lord over the land as usual. For him, nothing had changed, and as much as he didn’t want to feel such a way, the constant awareness of the fact planted seeds of anger in his gut that were blossoming faster than a child could.

It was in the night after another glowing report from Yukito five weeks in that Fai tugged him close in the privacy of their quarters. “Talk to me,” he murmured, barely squeezing his fingers tangled in Kurogane’s.

“It’s nothing,” Kurogane deflected. He didn’t want to seem ungrateful or even regretful of all the work Fai had put in for his sake. He didn’t want to sour this experience for Fai, even as the frustration churned within him.

Fai pulled himself to his toes, kissing just to the left of Kurogane’s eyes. “You’ve been upset over something,” he said, well of patience springing eternal. “Is it the hormones?”

“It’s not — ” Kurogane started before cutting himself off with a sigh and avoiding meeting Fai’s eyes. “It’s stupid.”

“I won’t think it’s stupid,” Fai assured him, nudging at Kurogane’s cheek to encourage him to face him properly, but lightly enough not to demand such.

Kurogane closed his eyes briefly. There really wasn’t any hiding from the sharp eyes of the wizard. He wondered at how long Fai had noticed, how much he must have worried over Kurogane’s mood, waiting patiently for Kurogane to choose to let him in before finally taking it upon himself to make him talk. Stewing over himself like this wasn’t fair to either of them. “I thought I would feel.. something,” he admitted at length, having to drag the words out of himself, and letting Fai fill in himself everything that was unsaid in that statement.

Fai’s smile was wry, and he brushed his hands along Kurogane’s shoulders and arms as if gentling a horse. “Most people don’t even realize they’re pregnant for over a month, sometimes longer. It’ll take time, Kuro-tan.” It wasn’t as reassuring as Fai had probably hoped it would be, and maybe Fai sensed that because he pressed on. “The baby is still so small your eyes would barely be able to see it, so small even if it sat on your shoulders, you would never be able to feel it. Is it so strange it would not affect you just yet?”

Kurogane supposed not. “No,” he conceded, and the knot of frustration within him loosened just a little.

“Have patience,” Fai continued, placing his hands on Kurogane’s chest and leaning forward to catch his mouth in a kiss, but he paused midway when Kurogane flinched. “Kuro-rin?”

Kurogane moved one of Fai’s hands manually so it was not resting directly on his nipple. “Sensitive,” he muttered, ducking down to close the gap himself, but Fai again left the kiss incomplete as his mouth fell open in surprise. “What?”

“They’re sensitive?” Fai asked, now poking around curiously at Kurogane’s chest as if to ascertain exactly how sensitive and where.

Kurogane grimaced as one finger jabbed at his other nipple and he snatched Fai’s hand right out of the air. “Yes, they’re sensitive,” he growled, “Knock it off.”

Fai freed his hand effortlessly (Kurogane having not put forth the effort to keep said hand, only to stop the prodding) to clap them both together in front of his face, growing more excited by the second. “Kuro-pii, that’s the baby! They’re sensitive because of the baby!” In his surprise, Kurogane didn’t react as Fai jumped up and threw his hands around his neck, the impact nearly throwing Kurogane back against the wall, and Fai’s toes only barely touching the ground now to keep from having Kurogane take his whole weight. Distantly, Kurogane realized his shoulder was growing damp. “I’m so relieved,” Fai breathed, just a bit unsteady.

Kurogane’s senses returned and he crushed Fai’s body into his own, clutching to him as if for dear life, and making Fai’s shoulder just as wet as his own.

* * *

And now that Kurogane was listening to his body a little more, he noticed he was tiring earlier in the day, and that certain smells and textures turned his stomach. These were annoying, yes, but manageable. If this was the extent of it, he could manage just fine.

It wouldn’t be, he knew, but he would take the mild annoyances in stride.

What irritated him more was when Fai barred him from the bath. “You can’t cook the baby, Kuro-chan!” Fai had admonished, and Kurogane knew he was right, but one of the things he craved after a long day was an even longer, hot soak in the tub, and being denied such left him with one less way to settle himself at the end of the day.

And he needed settling. He could take his aggression out in his morning exercises or in drilling his men, but there were matters of state, and plans for the future, and dozens of petty disputes to be resolved, and it was all more than just swinging a sword could take away. Meditation could only do so much for him, as well.

Fai was not blind to this at all. He invited Kurogane to do up or take down his hair almost daily, feigned needing help with the ties on his clothes, spoiled him rotten by instructing the staff to cook Kurogane’s favorites even if they were things Fai despised. But he knew in the long run, the coddling would only add to the frustration.

Finding a suitable substitute for yarn and Fai carving him a crochet hook had helped as well for a time. Though Kurogane couldn’t be still and allow his thoughts to float away on the steam of the baths, he could let them flow out in the repetition of the stitch. He’d made bags and hats and socks and blankets and all manners of clothes, mostly for the baby but some for Fai, which he wore proudly. It was a good outlet, but still no match for the warmth against his skin, laying back to float against the gently rocking waves he himself had caused, and with Fai there beside.

* * *

When Kurogane woke one morning, it was to the sound of a cup clattering to the ground the next room over, and the distinct tang of Fai’s magic in the air. He couldn’t sense anything that would indicate a fight, so he didn’t rush over, but his curiosity had him not wasting any time getting up to investigate, either. Upon sliding open the door, there he found Fai aside the low table and half a dozen cups, one of which was on the floor inches away from the table. “What are you up to?” he asked with amusement.

“Good morning to you, too,” Fai replied just the same, not moving from his position except to turn his smile Kurogane’s way.

It was barely morning anymore, Kurogane realized, noticing the lengths of the shadows along the ground, and that sank his mood just a bit. “You should have woken me.”

Fai’s hum was short but musical. “You need more rest for the baby. Your body knows when it needs to wake up.”

It was Kurogane’s turn to hum an acknowledgement though his was more of a grunt as he plopped down next to Fai. There certainly wasn’t any pressing business that morning, but he couldn’t be sleeping away the day like that except for rare occasions, and Fai knew that. “And? What were you doing?”

“Practicing,” Fai said with a light shrug, before gesturing with his hand in a movement designed to look careless but was quite precise. One of the cups on the table popped out of view and reappeared on the edge of the table, though the slightest breeze would probably tip it right over. That was not exactly where Fai had intended for it to go, but it was close.

“Not bad,” Kurogane muttered, a little impressed. He’d seen similar tricks but only as sleight of hand, or in their repeated case, leaving a world entirely. Having something be transported within a world in a controlled manner was fairly new for him.

“I need to be much better,” Fai replied mildly. Kurogane didn’t say anything to that, but Fai could feel his curiosity like a weight on his back. “You may have noticed you haven’t been changed outside,” he continued obliquely, and of course Kurogane had noticed. It had been two months now and both of them were quite familiar with that area of Kurogane’s anatomy. “So how do you think we’re getting the baby out?”

Kurogane had wondered at that, but had known Fai and Yukito would not have overlooked such an important step in the process. There had to be a plan, and apparently, transporting the child out had been determined to be the best way. “Why?”

“Changing you that much would have meant changing your bones, and other parts of you we’re both quite fond of,” Fai added cheekily, giggling when the faint blush tinged Kurogane’s cheeks. But the matter had been quite serious, despite his teasing. There was a chance with the change Kurogane would need time to relearn his center of balance, or that it would cause chronic pain that would be dealt with possibly for the rest of his life, or possibly debilitated him for the same. Certainly, Kurogane had adjusted well enough to his artificial arm, but there were days when it ached, especially when the weather changed, and Fai did not want to bring such an experience to Kurogane’s core as well. “It would have been very painful, and it was possible you would have needed remedial training to become familiar with the new configuration. Not to mention, there wasn’t any guarantee we could put you back after. So,” Fai repeated his earlier motion, and this time the cup before him reappeared squarely in front of Kurogane, right where he was aiming, “I need to practice.”

It seemed simple enough to Kurogane, but when it came to Fai, things were rarely so simple. Sure, Fai could move a cup, but could he move a living being? Could he move a living being from inside another to the outside? “Will you be ready?”

“I will,” Fai promised. There was, of course, a backup plan, but Fai was determined not to let things come to that.

Kurogane could tell there was as much being unsaid by Fai just as much as he was admitting to aloud. Fai must have weighed all the options and come to the solutions he felt would make the pregnancy as easy and safe on Kurogane and the baby as possible, even if it meant more work on his part. Through the months of planning — planning that he was still working on, and Kurogane had caught him doing so more than once — Fai’s love and consideration shone through every step. Feeling fond, Kurogane took up a lock of Fai’s hair and brought it to his lips, and it was Fai’s turn to blush at the show of affection. “Do not let me sleep in like that again,” Kurogane murmured. He had his duties to perform just as Fai did, and an image to maintain as the Lord of Suwa. Sleeping in until it was nearly noon did not look good on him as the leader he wanted to be.

“I won’t,” Fai assured him lightly, and Kurogane knew it was not that easy, “Often.”

* * *

It was one evening weeks later that Fai joined Kurogane while he was scrubbing down, as Fai often did, looking quite proud of himself, that Kurogane paused and glanced his way suspiciously.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” Fai offered, pulling his stool aside Kurogane’s and pinning his hair up above his head, having washed it the night before.

“What is it?” Kurogane asked, for what sort of surprise could Fai possibly want to spring on him in the baths?

Fai only smiled warmly and reached forward to Kurogane’s stomach, drawing a glyph there and then blowing on it softly. Kurogane’s stomach began to feel cool, as if he had eaten too much shaved ice too quickly, and he had an idea what that meant, but Fai was the first to speak. “This should keep the child cool while you soak. I’m.. sorry it took me so long to figure it out,” he added, haltingly, and drawing his gaze away deliberately to favor wetting his body instead.

“Is that what you had been doing?” Kurogane asked. In the times after they had scrubbed up, Fai had been presumably soaking himself, or otherwise he had gone to bed without one with Kurogane in solidarity, but he had always come to bed suspiciously pruneless, skin too dry.

“I wanted to be precise,” Fai said, taking up the soap and starting with one arm. “Too warm or too cold could be bad for both of you and I wouldn’t want to make a mistake and hurt — ”

Kurogane took Fai’s chin and kissed him deeply, and they did not leave the baths for a very, very long time.

* * *

Fai crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, content to wait until Kurogane finished the daily drills with his men. It was always a sight, seeing Kurogane execute the movements precisely and elegantly, and many times slower than he would on his own for the benefit of his men. The news Fai had was not urgent enough to interrupt such a sight, and truly, he relished the opportunity to admire Kurogane’s form — the absolute control he exhibited in each and every movement, the flex and strain as each muscle bent to his will, the beads of sweat that were forming along his hairline at the extended exercise, the bands that wound Kurogane’s stomach now for extra support though he had barely begun to show.

To say Fai was leering would not have been inaccurate. Oh, Fai was going to absolutely wreck his world tonight, or perhaps allow Kurogane to do him that honor.

The exercises came to close, and the men had not needed too much correction that afternoon, but Kurogane stepped away to speak to one soldier in particular, and that was when a side conversation caught Fai’s ear that had him storming over with all the poise he could muster.

“Lord Suwa is really letting himself go, isn’t he?” one of the men whispered to the other.

“You’ve noticed it, too?” another responded.

“That gut he’s got — someone must be feeding him quite well,” the first added with a snigger.

“Ahem,” Fai began and the two men startled, glancing behind their shoulders in trepidation. Fai knew many of the men were still not convinced Fai was human or really 100% on their side — that perhaps he was assisting for his own amusement and nothing else, and would someday be the death of all of them — and Fai intended to use that perception to his advantage now, along with the fact that he was a full head taller than most of the men in this country, and so could loom over the two before him. Their faces were pale, and Fai took no small amount of sick joy in that fact. “First of all, if you are too cowardly to make such remarks to Lord Suwa’s face, then you should not be making them at all. Secondly, weight and size have no bearing whatsoever on a person’s health or physical prowess, or do you disparage your larger comrades in such a way as well?”

“N-no sir, Lord Priest,” the first’s teeth were chattering now, his pupils disappearing in a sea of brown, “but — !”

“A person’s body will naturally change over time,” Fai continued, “One does not keep the same form as they had in their youths until the time of their deaths unless they meet such deaths swiftly without the chance to grow.” The men were visibly trembling now — good, Fai thought. “And another thing — ”

“I’m pregnant,” Kurogane cut in, glowering, and Fai barely managed not to startle at his sudden presence behind him, Kuogane’s hand resting where Fai’s neck met his shoulders, squeezing just so and releasing some of the tension that had been growing there, “Do you have a problem with that?”

“N-n-n-no sir!”

“You look amazing, sir!”

“Good luck with the baby, sir!”

Kurogane’s scowl deepened. “Dismissed.”

The men scattered and Kurogane began to flex the hand against Fai’s neck, massaging the area and dispelling some of the righteous anger Fai had been holding there. It was then Fai realized he was shaking, too, perhaps just as much as the men he had just been lecturing had. Fai inhaled through his nose, held it shortly, and released it slowly in a calming trick he’d been taught once before. “Is that really the way you wanted to break the news?”

“They would have found out eventually anyway,” Kurogane offered neutrally, hand now moving to the space between Fai’s shoulders, knuckles dragging up and down with some pressure, but not enough to make Fai have to brace back against him.

“True,” Fai allowed, but that wasn’t the problem, “But you see, Tomoyo-hime is — ”

“You’re pregnant?” came the shocked gasp behind them and it was Kurogane who startled and whipped around to see an enthused Tomoyo, stars in her eyes and one hand to her cheek.

Kurogane’s murderous gaze flipped back to Fai. “She’s here?”

“Well,” Fai began awkwardly and a little nervously, taking a step back from Kurogane, just in case decorum was forgotten in the moment, “That’s what I came here to tell you, but — ”

But Tomoya had crossed the space and took up both of Kurogane’s hands in her own, heedless of correctness in the now-emptied courtyard. “Oh, I have so much I wish to ask! Please, let’s sit down for tea and you can tell me everything.”

Oh, Kurogane was definitely going to wreck Fai’s world tonight for sure, one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fai: *visibly upset*
> 
> Kurogane: *scruffs him like a kitten*


End file.
